Wasim shines as Al Mada down E&Y in thriller

MUSCAT: All-rounder Wasim Abdul Karim steered Al Mada Engineering to a thrilling 4-run win against Ernst and Young in a 30-over B Division match of Oman Cricket League at Municipality ground 2 on Friday.
Playing a sterling knock of 93 off just 49 balls, Wasim was solely responsible for Al Mada reaching a fighting total of 169 before losing all ten wickets in 23 overs. His score included 13 fours and 3 sixes. Opener Ashok Patel batted well too for his 34. Vishak Jayakumar bowled brilliantly to claim three wickets for just 16 runs in his quota of 4 overs. Salman Khan took three wickets for 24.
Ernst and Young’s dismal start to the season continued with another loss, though this time they fought well before falling short by just four runs. Omar Sarfaraz was once again the leading scorer with a fluent 72 of 65 balls including 7 fours and 2 sixes. After his fall Al Mada ran wrapped up the game quickly, bowling E&Y out for 165 in 29.3 overs. Wasim Abdul Karim, Deepak Bhandari, Mohammed Shahil and Nishant Menon all bagged two wickets each.

Brief scores: Al Mada Engineering 169 all out in 23 overs (Wasim Abdul Karim 93 – 13×4, 3×6, Ashok Patel 34 – 6×4. Vishak Jayakumar 3-16, Salman Khan 3-24) beat Ernst and Young 164 all out in 29.3 overs (Omar Sarfaraz 72 – 7×4, 2×6. Nishat Menon 2-08, Deepak Bhandari 2-13, Mohammed Shahil 2-23, Wasim Abdul Karim 2-31) by 4 runs.
Usman stars in victory
for Waves Engineering
Waves Engineering made short work of a respectable Zubair CT total of 162 thanks to a 105-run opening partnership between openers Usman Asghar (60) and Kamaljot Singh (42) in a T20 D Division match at Municipality ground 1 on Friday.
Batting first, Zubair CT compiled a fighting 162 for 7 in 20 overs with opener Adnan Mehboob scoring a superb 82 off 60 balls with the help of 8 fours and 1 six. Captain Mohsin Abbas scripted a fluent 38 while Sunil Kumar chipped in with 26 off 17. Muhammed Muslim was the main wicket-taker with bowling figures of 3 for 31. Usman Asghar claimed 2 for 24.
It took Waves Engineering only 14.2 overs to overhaul the target, losing only four wickets in the process. Usman and Kamaljot made batting look easy, hitting boundaries at will. Muhammed Umar finished the game with a cameo of 29 off just 9 balls, hitting 4 fours and a big six. Iqbal Mudassar bagged three wickets but gave away a whopping 46 runs in 3.2 overs.
Zubair CT was guilty of conceding 19 extras, including 15 wides and 2 no balls.

Brief scores: Zubair CT 162 for 7 in 20 overs (Adnan Mehboob 82 – 4×8, 1×6, Mohsin Abbas 38 – 5×4, Sunil Kumar 26 – 4×4. Muhammed Muslim 3-31, Usman Asghar 2-24) lost to Waves Engineering 165 for 4 in 14.2 overs (Usman Asghar 60 – 9×4, Kamaljot Singh 42 – 4×4, Muhammed Umar 29 – 4×4, 1×6. Iqbal Mudassar 3-46) by six wickets.
NBO beat Bank Muscat
in thriller
A match-winning 115-run 5th wicket partnership between Arfan Ali Syed and Mustansar Hussain paved the way for NBO’s thrilling win over Bank Muscat in a 20-over E Division game at Municipality ground 3.
After bowling Bank Muscat out for 149 in 20 overs, NBO were in serious trouble at 15 for 4 before Arfan Ali and Mustansar steadied the ship and setting up a last-over victory for their side, which lost only six wickets in the process.
Arfan was the more dominant scorer with 60 off 49 balls while Mustansar retired out at 49 off 42 balls. Nishanth took three wickets for 28 runs.
Bank Muscat paid a heavy price for some wayward bowling, conceding a massive 30 extras, including 22 wides and 3 no balls.
Earlier, batting first after winning the toss, Bank Muscat could manage only 149 in the stipulated 20 overs. Only Zeeshan Tufail (29 off 19) and Osman al Zadjali (28 of 26) were able to offer some resistance against an attacking NBO outfit. Moazzam Shah claimed three wickets for 19 runs. He was ably supported by Mustansar Hussain and Manas Kapoor, who claimed two wickets each.

Brief Scores: Bank Muscat 149 all out in 20 overs (Zeeshan Tufail 29, Osman al Zadjali 28. Moazzam Shah 3-19, Mustansar Hussain 2-30, Manas Kapoor 2-19) lost to NBO 152 for 6 in 19.5 overs (Arfan Ali Syed 65 – 7×4, 1×6, Mustansar Hussain 49 – 6×4. Nishanth 3-28) by four wickets.
Issa steers Ahli Bank
past NBO Al Muzn
In another battle of banks, Ahli Bank beat NBO Al Muzn in a high-scoring F Division clash, thanks to a swashbuckling 25-ball 75 by young Omani opener Issa al Balushi at Municipality ground 4.
Known for his hard-hitting batting and excellent fielding, Issa was involved in a match-winning 128-run partnership with his opening partner Syed Imran who scored an impressive 60 off 31 balls.
Ahli Bank were chasing a massive 209 and got past the target with five balls to spare and five wickets in hand. Imran Kasmani claimed three wickets for 28 runs.
Earlier, batting first after winning the toss, NBO Al Muzn were able to pile up a huge total with the help of a 128-run third-wicket partnership between opener Rohit Gupta (59 off 44) and Ismail Rahim al Balushi (72 off 48).
Saif Khan chipped in with a 9-ball cameo of 26. Syed Imran bagged two wickets for 30 runs. NBO total was also greatly helped by a whopping 34 extras, including 19 wides and 2 no balls by Ahli Bank bowlers.